Wake Up to the Drowsy Driving Epidemic

WAKE UP TO THE DROWSY DRIVING ZZzz EPIDEMIC z z Z Z Everyone knows that speeding and drunk driving are major contributors to motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and deaths. But how many of us know the true impact of drowsy driving? A recipe for disaster: warning signs of drowsy driving 1. Most crashes occur between midnight and 6 AM and 2 and 4 PM 55% of drowsy driving crashes are caused by drivers less than 25 years old Drivers who don't regularly use seatbelts are more 4. 3. Driving alone 2. likely to fall asleep 5. Driving on a long, rural, dark or boring road Other warning signs: WORKING Functioning on 60+ hr/week 6 hr or LESS INCREASES YOUR RISK BY Even tiny amounts of ALCOHOL Driving long distances without breaks OF SLEEP 40% TRIPLES YOUR RISK can increase the effects of drowsiness COLD MEDICINES and SEDATIVES can make you drowsy ZZz ONE in FOUR DRIVERS admit to driving while drowsy within the past month. That's over of Americans admit to actually falling asleep while driving in their lifetime 130M ILLION 14 PEOPLE 1+ 41% Are you one of them? Every year, drowsy driving is responsible for at least: $12.5 BILLION IN MONETARY LOSSES 100,000 1,550 71,000 CRASHES DEATHS INJURIES The true figures may be even higher. It's hard to attribute crashes to drowsiness because states report causes of crashes in different ways. Are you secretly driving under the influence? When you drive drowsy, your driving is impaired, JUST LIKE IF YOU DROVE DRUNK. YOUR REACTION TIME SLOWS DOWN Reduces optimum reaction times, impairing ability to reach in time to stop a collision. YOUR INFORMATION PROCESSING ABILITY DROPS Integrating information takes longer, which deteriorates performance. this is because when you get less than 6 hours of sleep YOUR MEMORY IS IMPAIRED Accuracy of short-term memory decreases. The legal limit for driving in the U.S. is Being awake for 18 hours is equivalent to a BAC of .05%. Being awake for 24 hours is equivalent to a BAC of .10%. BAC of .08% Don't be a statistic of adults say they know someone who crashed 23% because they fell asleep at the wheel Z Zz BUT ONLY 1 OUT OF 5 drivers pull over to nap when they feel drowsy. Stay alive by practicing safe driving habits: When driving long distances, take a break every 100 miles or 2 hours. Wear your seatbelt. If you feel sleepy: ZZz Drink 2 cups of coffee or take a caffeine pill, then wait 30 minutes before you resume driving. Take a 15-20 minute nap. Help keep our roads safe and remember to stay awake to arrive alive! SOURCES: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | National Sleep Foundation | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TM CPony Parts eX